Dutch football referee Rob Dieperink has passed away at the age of 38, just weeks after being removed from FIFA’s 2026 World Cup panel following a police investigation in the UK that was ultimately dismissed.
Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has passed away at age 38, weeks after FIFA dropped him from the 2026 World Cup match officials list.
According to reports by BBC Sport and Reuters, the Netherlands’ football association, the KNVB, and FIFA expressed deep sadness over his death, the cause of which remains undisclosed.
Dieperink was removed from the VAR tournament panel in May following a Metropolitan Police arrest in London over a sexual assault allegation, a case later dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
Before his passing, the veteran Eredivisie referee stated he was “wrongly accused” and expressed disappointment over missing the World Cup.
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